Property
Published September 21, 2006

Malaysia's Tiffani a big draw with celebrities
55% of high-end project's 400 units have already been snapped up


By UMA SHANKARI


MALAYSIA'S Mont'Kiara neighbourhood is one of the most sought after locations among Kuala Lumpur's expatriate community. And now celebrities - who are snapping units in the recently launched Tiffani by i-ZEN - join the list of people one is likely to see in the area.



Prime address: (Clockwise from left) Renowned shoe designer Jimmy Choo, model-actress-singer Fann Wong and fashion designer Bernard Chandran are among celebrities who have picked up units in Tiffani


World renowned celebrity shoe designer Jimmy Choo, Singaporean model-actress-singer Fann Wong, haute couture designer Bernard Chandran - fondly called the 'Prince of Fashion' across the Causeway - and Negri Sembilan royal Tengku Naquiyuddin are just some of the better-known names that have picked up units in the development.

In fact, so enamoured was Jimmy Choo with the project that during a visit to the showflats, he immediately whipped out his chequebook and bought two luxury units.

And apparently, the shoe designer - beloved by fashionistas everywhere - was so taken by the zen-like design of the property that he presented developer Ireka Land and joint venture partner CapitaLand Financial a shoe designed by him that incorporated Chinese characters and jade ornaments.

Ireka Land has - to no one's surprise - named the shoe Tiffani. The shoe will be on display in the project's showroom until the luxury condominium is completed.

Right now, about 55 per cent of the project's 400 units have been snapped up, says CapitaLand. And even before the project was officially launched in July, a lot of units were sold in pre-launch marketing efforts, media reports said.

Ireka and CapitaLand aimed the units at foreign buyers - mainly Singaporeans. But the development's difficulty was in setting itself apart from other up-market offerings in the Mont'Kiara neighbourhood, where there seems to be an endless supply of new homes offering quality living.

So the joint venture partners raised the benchmark by introducing what they term 'brand ambassadors' - a marketing strategy new to Malaysia. Enter Fann Wong and Bernard Chandran - who then proceeded to buy units. Since then, a wide variety of folks have decided to buy homes in the project for residential and investment purposes, from celebrities to ordinary families.

Apartment sizes range from 815 square feet to 3,729 square feet, with one single penthouse - spanning a huge 8,011 square feet - which will be sold to the highest bidder. Units are priced at around RM450 (S$193.8) per square foot.